Tarzan, a Childhood Hero

Though the Lone Ranger took first place in my childhood pantheon, Tarzan was indubitably a close second.

I think the 1950's comics must have been my introduction to the ape man, but before long I discovered the books. The first was Tarzan of the Apes, his origin story in which his English parents (of the nobility, no less), are killed and he, a helpless infant is adopted by a band of great apes. 

How he learns to read when he grows older, explores his parents'abandoned cabin, and puzzles out the "little bugs" on the pages of the children's book was one of my favorite parts, improbable though it was.

This particular volume in the series, from 1920, deals with WWI and German atrocities in East Africa. Tarzan (now also known as Lord Greystoke) is hunting down the presumed murderers of his wife Lady Jane.

It's fairly sensational writing for the time--a walled city inhabited (mostly) by maniacs, a captive girl, heaving bosoms--altogether a fun read and, for me, a blast from a kinder, gentler past where good prevails.

And though there's nothing quite like enjoying this vintage hero while reading the crumbling pages of a century-old book, all nine volumes are available on Kindle for 99 cents. How can I resist?

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